April 18, 2005—On April 8, Washington Governor Christine Gregoire signed legislation requiring state-funded buildings to be built to high-performance green building standards. Several other states have executive orders, and scattered municipalities have local regulations, but no other state legislature has passed such a wide encompassing standard, according to the American Institute of Architects.
The bill adopted US Green Building Councils LEED Silver rating and the Washington Sustainable Schools Design Protocol as the standards for public buildings, such as state buildings, university facilities, and public school buildings.
The AIA Washington Council, AIA Seattle, Sustainable Development Advocacy Council (SDAC), Architects and Engineers Legislative Council (AELC), and the US Green Building Council were essential to the passage of the states first sustainable design laws for public buildings, says AIA.
For more on the AIA, visit the organization Web site.
